Family Ties
by SpiceGirl
Summary: Vince fakes his own death to see which McMahon sibling is more capable of taking over.  You’ll be surprised at what he finds out, and when he returns decides that old enemies are actually allies. The McMahons,John Cena,Melina,Shawn Michaels,TripleH,Others
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Although much has been made of some sort of supposed backstage "sibling rivalry" between Shane and Stephanie McMahon based on rumors and sensationalist reports, I don't buy any of it. Stephanie enjoys writing and is better at it. Shane enjoys the business side. It's that simple. On the other hand, it does make for an interesting story.**

**Another note, this is my second story with Shane as a jerk (I just can't see him playing any other character, plus when I actually did finally get to see him in real life he unfortunately came off as a jerk then too. Hopefully it was just a one time thing but it has stuck with me.) I haven't decided yet how much of a jerk I want to make him but if you are a Shane McMahon fan please don't hate me. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

**SUMMARY: **Vince fakes his own death to see which McMahon sibling is more capable of running the WWE. You'll be surprised at what he finds out, and on his return decides that old enemies are his biggest ally. Stephanie, Shane, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena, Melina, others.

**Chapter 1**

Vince McMahon sat with his wife Linda and held her on his lap.

"This is what's best Linda. Shane and Stephanie have never really been tested. We need to start thinking of the future." He told her sensing her discord over the whole idea of faking his own death.

"But it's just not right to play with their minds like that, isn't there another way?" She asked.

"We've tried. They both have enough power in the company now to make the big decisions, but with me around they still seem distracted." Vince replied.

Vince thought back to the many times Shane had tried to show Vince he truly was the "heir apparent" and the many off the wall ideas that came along with it. His latest brain fart being the suggestion that stars from the TV show "Jackass" get at least one main event match at the second biggest PPV event of the year. As a non wrestler himself, Shane seemed to embrace the idea of non wrestlers stealing spots from legit, hard working and talented wrestlers already on the roster. What he failed to realize is that few true wrestling fans actually want a see a bunch of morons in the ring who simply make a mockery of the business.

Then there was Steph. Although she had taken the constant insults from the fans and media alike gracefully, she still doubted herself. She still thought she had a lot to prove in the eyes of the naysayers. It seemed the harder she tried to get out from underneath her last name, the more she was accused of using it. Vince had been successful at deflecting some of the name calling against her, but what Stephanie had to learn on her own was that some people simply loved to point the finger and if someone doesn't like you, there's probably nothing you can do to change their mind.

Linda signed. Even though she hated the idea, she new Vince was right. She simply wished they didn't have to go through such extremes. But, this was the McMahons, it's not like they enjoyed doing things the easy way.

"I suppose you're right." Linda finally acknowledged.

"I know I'm right." Vince returned with his typical goofy grin plastered on his face. "Now, you better get going. You've got a memorial service to attend. Let me know if the 'asshole' chants start. It will make me feel all warm inside." He teased and then planted a kiss on Linda's lips.

Linda rolled her eyes. Only she could truly appreciate Vince's insane way of thinking.

Ooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As the memorial service for Vincent Kennedy McMahon came to a close, Shane smirked as he looked at his sister holding on tightly to Paul's arm for comfort.

Shane worshipped his dad as mush as anyone, but business was business, and as the oldest McMahon sibling, and Vince's only son, it was time for him to take charge. No longer would he have to sit back and watch his brother in law and sister make all the creative decisions. Shane had ideas of his own and he couldn't wait to implement them.

"Hey Shane O, sorry man." John Cena said getting Shane's attention. "Your old man and I didn't always get along, but deep down I actually think I'm going to miss the guy." John was trying his best to offer some support over the elder McMahon's loss.

"I appreciate it man." Shane replied, giving John a friendly slap on the shoulder. "But don't worry, we'll take care of the belt for you." Shane remarked and then made his way over to where Stephanie and Paul were standing.

As John watched him leave he raised an eyebrow. Shane's last remark seemed odd to him. The Championship belt was the last thing on John's mind right now, and considering that Shane's father had just died, it should be the last thing on Shane's mind as well.

"You okay babe?" Paul asked.

Stephanie looked up at her husband and wiped a tear from her face. Vince had been there time and again to stand up for her when back stage politics got in the way of the big picture. She knew that many in the industry saw her as daddy's little girl and nothing more. If there was a storyline that failed, she was usually to blame. If there was a popular Superstar who failed to give his or her best effort and was now being buried in mid card status, she was usually to blame. But never was she recognized for the many things that went right. The wrestling industry was a funny business; the fans are passionate and vocal. But despite the few who liked to complain about every angle, every push and every decision being made, there was the big picture, and that was TV ratings. Despite the loud few who hated John Cena, thousands loved him. He was a champion of the people and kept his nose clean in and outside of the ring. Stephanie saw that and so did the advertisers. Stephanie realized that if she ran the business based on the whims and complaints of a few that ultimately the business would fail and that thousands of wrestlers would be out of a job. That was the big picture.

"I'll be fine. Thanks." She replied softly, smiling up at Paul.

Now that Vince was gone, Stephanie felt more pressure than ever. She didn't always agree with her father, but he had taught her to stick to her guns. If not for him she would have crumbled at every unjustified insult thrown in her direction. So, was she daddy's little girl? Sure, Vince was a good father if not anything else, and she was a better person for it.

As Shane made his way over to Stephanie his face showed warmth and sincerity.

"Paul." He nodded to his brother in law.

"Shane." Paul replied back raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Shane reached for Stephanie's hand and held it while gently rubbing his thumb across the top to sooth her.

"Monday's a new day Steph, I'll see you at Raw." He told her and then bent down and kissed her lightly on the top of her head.

As he walked away he adjusted his tie and let his famous arrogant smirk play on his lips.

"Yep." He said to himself. "Monday's a new day and the beginning of the Shane O Mac Era."

**A/N: Okay, I know this chapter was a little short, but it was just to set things up for the story. They won't all be that short I promise. Hope you like it so far. I'd love to hear what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"That ridiculous Shane, we are not doing two Diva Bikini matches on one show." Stephanie told her brother as they did a final run thru of tonight's show.

"Why not Steph? The fans want to see it. We all know gimmick matches sell tickets." Shane replied growing frustrated with his sister by the minute.

"No, fans want to see wrestlers doing what they do best...wrestle. Gimmick matches are for men and women who don't have skill in the ring and need gimmicks to entertain the audience. You should know, you're whole career is based on gimmick matches Shane." Stephanie said with a smirk.

Paul sat just watching Stephanie and Shane squabble...again. Now that Vince was gone he knew it would only get worse. It was actually quite amusing to watch the two at first, but now he was growing tired of it. There was a business to run and he along with the wrestlers under WWE contract didn't have time for their backstage dramatics.

"Why you little bitch." Shane sneered as he moved over to Stephanie, aggressively eyeing her.

Paul got up immediately and intervened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa tough guy. I think you owe Steph an apology." Paul demanded as he placed a hand on Shane's chest to make sure he got no closer to Stephanie.

"Whatever Paul. I see how it's going to be now right, two against one?" Shane said. "Well Paul, sorry buddy but you're still just a wrestler. As far as I'm concerned I can fire you anytime I want." Shane threatened.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"Okay Junior, fire me. And while you're trying to grow a pair of balls to do it, i'll be out here getting ready for the show." Paul said as he looked at both Shane and Stephanie and simply shook his head and left.

"Fuck him, who does he think he is?" Shane spat.

"My husband." Stephanie replied defensively.

Looking up at the clock Stephanie noticed it was getting close to show time. They had to finalize the Raw card now or risk chasing their tails the entire show.

"Listen, I'll give you one bikini match Shane, but that's it." Stephanie conceded.

Shane smiled to himself. Although he wanted two bikini matches, he had at least manipulated and whined his way into getting one. In his mind that was better than nothing.

"See Steph, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Shane asked as his features softened while mocking his sister.

While Stephanie watched Shane leave, she could feel the nerves now growing deep in the pit of her stomach. A lot of eyes were on here now and she was more than aware that there were thousands of her critics just hoping she would fail. It was a shame that her very own brother was one of them.

"Yo, Steph, you okay." John Cena asked as he entered the room.

He had come to ask Stephanie about changing his promo a bit, but upon seeing her noticed she held a hand to her stomach as if she was coming down with something.

"It's nothing John." She replied. The last thing she wanted to do was let any of her Superstars see how the pressure was getting to her. She was a McMahon and had to keep her cool at all times. Especially when Shane was out there doing what ever he was doing without a care in the world. Of course he had conveniently kept himself out of any of the tough decision making for the past several years, so why should he be nervous? As far as the public was concerned, Shane was full of great ideas. It's just no one had ever actually seen them.

"Okay then." John replied. Although he had come to discuss the show, he could tell that Steph needed some time to herself and was more nervous than he had ever seen her before, regardless of how much she tried to hide it. His ideas could wait. "Listen, I saw the lineup. I think it's going to be a great show." He told her with a wink and then turned to leave.

As Stephanie watched him go a smile came across her face. John had just given her the small boost of confidence that she needed. God forbid it actually come from Shane or Paul, but she would take it. As she walked out the door to face some of her biggest doubters, the wrestlers themselves, she held her head high with confidence and determination.

OOoooooooooooOOOOO

Paul paced back and forth running a hand through his hair. He worried about the state of WWE programming with Vince now out of the picture and Shane and Stephanie bitching at each other all the time. Their sibling rivalry would be the death of this business he thought to himself.

"Hey man, what's up?" Shawn Michaels asked of his old friend. "You looked stressed."

"You noticed huh?" Paul replied sarcastically.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. Both he and Paul had been through "battle" together in this business for years. They've seen the ups and downs, the politics, lost a lot of friends, been praised and hated all in the same breath. If there were two guys that knew wrestling and the business, it was them.

"I don't think I can handle much more of McMahon sibling bickering. I just want to take care of the show. Vince must be rolling in his grave right now." Paul remarked causing Shawn to laugh under his breath. The whole thought of Vince rolling in his grave somehow brought a smile to his face.

"Listen man, don't sweat it. You're Triple H, The Cerebral Assassin, The Game. You don't take shit from no one, especially not two little spoiled rich kids in way over their heads. Who do you think the guys backstage are going to listen to, you or Mickey and Minnie?" Shawn asked.

Paul thought about what Shawn said and he was right. The WWE didn't have to be at the complete mercy of Shane and Stephanie. Paul had a lot of pull backstage of his own. Sure he didn't have the stock options or the fancy titles, but the guys respected him, AND he knew the business just about better than anyone. He'd be damned if he'd just stand by and watch it all go to hell.

"You know Shawn, you're right. How about me and you change some things around here?" Paul asked with a crooked grin on his face.

oooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooooooo

While Stephanie was busy keeping a close eye of the show and how well the audience was reacting, Shane had managed to take control of the one part of the show he booked himself...the bikini match. First on his agenda was to make sure Melina and her opponent Candice were ready and looking hot.

"Hi ladies." He said as he walked up to where they were both warming up. Candice smiled at the elder McMahon but then went back to stretching. She wanted to be taken seriously as a wrestler and wasn't pleased at all with the booking. Regardless, she had a job to do. She only hoped it would continue to pay off.

"Hi Shane." Melina replied, stopping what she was doing and practically cooing at the Heir Apparent.

"Well." Shane said as his eyes trailed all over her body. "How about you turn for me so I can make sure there's no wardrobe malfunctions." He suggested and Melina was all too willing to service him.

As she slowly spun around so that Shane could check out her ass, Candice looked over at the two on the verge of throwing up. It was disgusting how obvious Melina was being. If she wasn't there, Candice was sure Melina and Shane would have been ripping each other's clothes of and doing it on the hard cement floor.

"Nice" Shane grinned and then turned to Candice. "Okay Candice, how about you?" He asked, assuming she would be just as accommodating as Melina was. He was really staring to enjoy this whole "power" thing.

"Um, I'm fine Shane really. Isn't our match about to start?" Candice asked nervously and then dashed away as quick as she could.

Shane and Melina laughed at her uneasiness.

"By the way Melina, I'll be backstage every week now that, well, you know." Shane said trying to gain her sympathy over Vince's presumed death.

"I know Shane. I'm so sorry. You must be hurting inside so bad." Melina replied as she walked up to Shane and flirtatiously ran her forefinger over his broad chest, stopping to straighten his tie.

"Yeah, well, you can't grieve forever. Maybe after the show you can help me take my mind off things." Shane suggested as his arm now snaked around Melina's body until his hand was running up and down the outside of her thigh.

Before they knew it, both were now leaning into one another to taste each other's tongues. That was until...

"Cough, cough."

"What the?" Shane blurted, startled by the fact that they had been caught. "Paul? What's up?" He asked, stepping away from Melina and clearing his throat.

"Uh, we have a show to run lover boy." Paul responded, not amused at all by the way Shane was taking liberties with the divas.

"We? Who's we? You mean Steph and I. Remember who you are Paul." Shane replied, now trying to wield his power around in an effort to impress the young woman he would surely have in the sack by the end of the night.

Paul rolled his eyes. What he wouldn't give to just knock the teeth out of the obviously delirious Shane McMahon.

"Okay, Shane O. When you're done swapping spit with the young Melina here, then Stephanie needs you in control room A." Paul grumbled and then left.

As soon as Paul was gone, Shane looked down at the dark haired diva, shaking his head.

"What an asshole, huh." He snorted and then left.

**A/N: Thank you to all who read and reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate it! I've got some interesting plans for Stephanie, John and Paul that some of you may not expect. Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Amazingly, as the night of Stephanie and Shane's first Raw drew to a close, there were no major hiccups with the show. Stephanie had tried desperately to make sure every detail was covered, and that every superstar had fully rehearsed every move and every ending. Now came the main event where John Cena would face Umaga in a title match. To call this a defining moment for Stephanie may have been an exaggeration, but for Stephanie that's exactly what it was. This was her main event match. She had done the booking, she had decided on the outcome, she had created the storyline that would follow it. It was a match to set up for the next PPV. This was her baby so to speak.

Paul stood watching his wife. She had practically shunned him the whole evening as she was completely into the show and that was all that mattered. With Vince gone and Stephanie now feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, Paul wondered if there would be any time left for him. He didn't like the changes he was now suddenly seeing in her. Slowly, he and Stephanie were drifting apart and he was now starting to wonder if there was anything to stop it.

ooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo

Out in the ring, Umaga and John had executed every move to perfection. Umaga had managed to get John set up on the mat so he could climb to the top rope and execute a frog splash. At the last second, John was to move away, knocking the wind out of the Samoan Bulldozer, and then set up the FU and make the pin. All was going just as planned until John moved just a half second too late causing Umaga to land on John's shoulder. Anyone watching would have seen that somebody screwed up somewhere.

So now with John on the mat holding his shoulder, Umaga was left trying to sell a frog splash miss that ended up not missing at all. After a few moments to collect himself, John got up from the mat and finished with an FU and a pin just as planned. Unfortunately though, the match at this pint had lost all momentum and the audience was left less than entertained.

The boos from the crowd were now starting to fill the rafters as John's hand was raised high in the air in victory.

ooOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOooo

Backstage Stephanie was on damage control. She believed in John as a wrestler and a professional, but after that, she knew he would draw a lot of heat not only from fans but from fellow wrestlers as well. Unlike most though, she refused to give up on him.

"Nice Steph." Shane commented getting in her face. "See what happens when you put all your cards in the hands of a loser like Cena? I get two bikini matches next week, and then maybe I take on Cena for the championship myself. Somebody needs to teach that guy how to wrestle." Shane hissed and then made his way to the curtain where Cena would soon be emerging.

As John made his way up the ramp, still rubbing his shoulder, he knew he would have a lot of explaining to do. Pushing the curtain aside he was greeted almost immediately by an enraged Shane McMahon.

"What the fuck are you doing out there Cena? You had one thing to do, move out of the way! How long have you been in this business anyway?" Shane yelled, trying his best to not only humiliate John, but to prove a point to anyone watching backstage that HE was the boss in charge. Not Paul, not Stephanie, but him.

"Easy Shane O, I messed up, I know." John said admitting to his mistake.

"It's Mr. McMahon to you and everyone else back here, understand?" Shane said while pointing a finger in John's chest.

"That's enough Shane." Stephanie interrupted.

Shane immediately drew his attention from John and right to Stephanie. His bigger, more imposing body now hovering over her as his cold stare locked on to hers.

"You shut your mouth Steph. This is exactly why a woman should not be involved in a man's business. You should take a page out of mom's book and stick to book keeping. Leave the wrestling to me." Shane warned.

Then, without so much as a warning Stephanie reared back and slapped Shane hard across the face.

"Don't you ever disrespect me or mom like that again." She said.

Honestly, if she wasn't so angry with Shane she would have been in tears. Stephanie was one of those people that demanded a lot from others, but much like her father, demanded even more from herself. The fact that the night had been going so well only to end on a sour note erased any minor successes she may have had. People have a tendency to remember only your last act. So if you have had successes your entire life, given to charity, made someone smile, whatever the case may be, all too often what is remembered about a person is their last failure. Ask any Boston Red Sox fan. For both John and Stephanie, this was one of those moments. As if it wasn't hard enough trying to live up to the expectation people in the wrestling industry had put on her, Stephanie now realized this battle was hers and hers alone. For a brief moment she tried hard to channel Vince's tough as nails philosophy, but the "forces" that be would not have any of it.

After collecting himself for a moment, Shane grabbed Stephanie by the arm. A tint of red in the form of Stephanie's hand now imprinted on his face.

"You won't get away with that sis. I promise." Shane warned.

But before Shane knew it Paul had taken hold of Shane's arm and practically threw him to the ground.

"Why don't the both of you take this somewhere else?" Paul advised, losing his patience over the whole situation. "Everybody get back to what you were doing. It's over now. Anyone performing at the house show tomorrow needs to be at the arena by four." He announced, now seemingly the only one with some sense.

"You heard the man, go!" Shawn Michaels chimed in, always there to have his buddy's back.

Before John headed off to see a doctor and get treatment for his arm he walked over to Stephanie.

"I'm sorry." He said in a sincere, humbled tone and then walked away.

Shane in the meantime now picked himself off of the floor. He had better things to do than to waste his time trying to make Stephanie and Paul 'see the light'. More importantly, he wanted to get Melina back to his hotel room and show her just how in charge he liked to be.

"We'll discuss this more tomorrow Stephanie." Shane said and then tossed a look over in Paul's direction. Although tempted to puff up his chest and prove that he did indeed have a pair of balls, Shane thought better of it when he saw the look on Paul's face; one of pure anger and annoyance.

As Shane rounded the corner, Paul grabbed a bottle of water and started to walk away.

He was at his wits end. No more did he want to have to deal with a no talent, glory hogging weasel like Shane. No more did he want to have to deal with Stephanie's insecurities and hang ups. The more time he spent trying to keep them from tearing each other apart, the less time he could focus on everything that brought him there...wrestling.

"Shawn and I are going to get a drink. I'll see you back at the hotel." He told Stephanie as he walked by her, not even slowing to get her response.

By the time Paul had rounded the corner, Stephanie looked around her. She was alone. After tonight she started to wonder, was Shane right? Did she really belong here? Vince had, had all the confidence in the world that Stephanie actually did have talent despite what some people said of her. She may not have gotten it right all the time, but she was a quick learner. Vince had been a big believer in learning from mistakes and Stephanie was learning from them now. Soaking in the silence of a now empty hallway, Stephanie took a deep breath. This was one night out of many that she would have to face. Doubts would continue to haunt her, and as she made her way through the arena hallways, she paused for a moment as her eyes rested on one man.

John Cena was the last to leave the locker room. Now showered and dressed in street clothes, he headed toward the double doors where on the other side a car waited for him. Stephanie shook her head as she watched him go. Maybe she truly was in over her head.

**A/N: Okay, so how many of you think you know where this is going? As always, thank you so much for reading and a big thanks for those leaving reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Vince flipped off the TV as soon as Raw had ended and a scowl came over his face.

"What the hell was that?" He wondered to himself.

He had just witnessed the very first Raw run solely by his two children and the main event turned out to be a complete mess. He couldn't help but to wonder where the responsibility lie. Was it Stephanie's fault, Shane's, both, or something out of their control?

Linda walked over to her husband who she could see was not happy.

"Give them time Vince. This was their first show." She tried to reassure him.

Linda, always the voice of reason. She was one of the main reasons the WWE stayed financially afloat. Without her support, Vince would have never become the successful business man he is today.

"I suppose you're right Linda." He agreed, now calming down a bit. "So what did Ross say?" Vince asked.

Jim Ross was backstage and had been assigned personally by Vince to keep an eye on Stephanie and Shane to see how they were handling the pressure. Call him a "spy", but he was a long time friend of Vince and also had a personal stake to making sure that when Vince finally did kick the bucket, that the WWE would continue to be successful without him.

"Well, the bikini match?" Linda stated. "Shane's idea. He actually proposed two of them." Linda said with a hint of shame in her only son for even proposing such a thing.

Vince snickered a bit.

"That's my boy!" He said proudly. Then suddenly Linda jabbed him with her elbow.

"That's not funny Vince. Shane's going for the cheap sell. Our advertisers won't like it much if he keeps that up. Not to mention how degrading it is to the divas." Linda stated.

"Uh, you're right. It's a guy thing, he's just thinking with his, well, you know, the other head. It's what our male audience wants." Vince replied, trying to put a positive spin on the situation. Linda just rolled her eyes and then continued.

"Also, according to Jim, the main event was booked by Stephanie." Linda admitted hesitantly.

"Damn it!" Vince spat. "Out of the two of them I expect her to be a little more responsible. There's just no excuse for what happened tonight in that main event."

Whether it was fair or not, Vince did expect more out of Stephanie when it came to booking and storylines. He had personally groomed her in that regard. It was Stephanie who came to Vince in the hopes of being a part of creative and Vince had given her that opportunity. From the start he was hesitant though. He knew from experience that if ratings were low and fans were disappointed with the product, they would always point a finger at the person they felt didn't deserve to be there. Stephanie was that person, but regardless of her last name she did deserve to be there based on her hard work and attitude alone. Unfortunately for her, she would never be able to shake the fact that she was Vince's daughter and would always be looked at differently despite her talents.

"Settle down Vince. You know how things happen. It's not always booking that ruins a match. Wrestlers have to take some responsibility too." Linda suggested.

Vince got up from the couch. He hated not being in control.

"Okay, but those two better get their heads out of their ass, or they are going to find themselves without a single stock option in my will when all is said and done." Vince spat and then got up from the couch and headed for bed.

ooOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoo

Shane confidently strolled into his hotel room and popped the cork to a bottle of very expensive champagne.

"John screwed up big time tonight. I love it!" He proclaimed to the young woman resting on the bed.

"Why are you so happy? Isn't that a bad thing?" Melina asked somewhat bored with the topic.

Shane smiled to himself. Stephanie had her chance, now it was his turn. Next week he would be the one to do most of the booking. Stephanie had already lost the faith of many people backstage. Her insistence on sticking with John Cena as the champ was now starting to catch up with her. It was the perfect time for Shane to have John drop the belt and come out smelling like a rose to fans, critics and stockholders alike. If he had his way, Stephanie wouldn't have a single say in the company without his permission on things, and wrestlers like Triple H and Cena would be buried so far in the roster they would be kissing his ass just to get a glimpse of the WWE Championship title belt again. Failure for Stephanie meant one thing to Shane and one thing only…more power.

What Shane failed to understand though was that there was more than just Stephanie he would have to compete with. Technically there were three potential McMahon heirs.

"No it's not a bad thing." Shane shook his head and gave Melina a look as if she was the dumbest person on earth. "But of course you're a woman, I wouldn't expect you to understand." Shane smirked.

Melina rolled her eyes.

"I didn't come here to talk about Cena, Shane." Melina replied as she seductively ran her fingers through her hair.

The smile on Shane's face grew wider as he let his eyes roam all over the woman on the bed in front of him. Shane never understood why Vince didn't take more advantage of all the beautiful divas just willing to throw themselves at him simply he was a McMahon. Shane would not make the same mistake. If Melina wanted to fuck him simply to get a push in the company, then who was he to deprive her needs? Shane was all too willing to accommodate and fulfill whatever sexual desires her or any other young diva may have for the Heir Apparent. To Shane, Melina was just another piece of ass.

As he moved closer to Melina and started removing her top, his mind quickly raced to thoughts of one diva he'd yet to conquer…Candice Michelle. Candice was one notch in Shane's belt he refused to give up on. After he was through having his way with Melina, she would certainly be his next conquest. _This is just all too easy_, he thought to himself. God, it was great to be a McMahon!

ooOOOOOOooooOOOOOOooooooooooo

The following day, Shane, Stephanie, Paul, Jim Ross and other members of the creative team were reviewing tape of the previous night's show. It was general practice to watch film of the previous night and pick apart every detail to see what worked, what didn't and what should happen at the next show.

Stephanie shook her head as they reviewed the bikini match between Candice and Melina. Shane watched with a smile on his face.

"Damn those girls are hot." He proclaimed.

"Okay Shane, can we just move through this?" Stephanie added. She had no desire to waste her time going over the 'importance" of that particular match. It was what it was; a cheap filler to give the male audience a chance to get off on two women wrestling around in their bikinis. There was no point in analyzing how in any way this would help either girl's career.

"Whatever Steph, you're just jealous because the matches I booked got over with the audience way more than your main event match did. You know the one that Cena fucked up, the one that absolutely sucked." Shane snickered.

"Shane, just how old are you anyway?" Paul asked. Again, he could feel a migraine coming on as Shane and Stephanie were once again getting on his nerves.

Stephanie had heard enough. Last night's Raw didn't sit well with her either but she wanted to move on. She had to move on. If she stopped to worry too much about one match, she'd be stuck trying to come up with any ideas at all. As far as Stephanie was concerned, both she and John deserved another chance to prove they could handle the pressure.

"Shane, why can't you be more supportive? We should be working together, not against each other." Stephanie said now getting up out of her seat and standing over Shane who sat nonchalantly with his feet up on the table in front of him. The back of his head rested comfortably in his hands.

"Okay fine. You want to work together? Then this is what we do. Put me in the main event next week against Cena in a non title match and have him drop the belt at the next pay per view." Shane suggested. "I'm tired of seeing my well earned money being lost on a guy who does nothing more than sell t-shirts." Shane growled.

"You're crazy." Stephanie said as she turned away shaking her head.

Shane didn't appreciate the comment in the least bit. He stormed out of his chair and grabbed Stephanie by the arm.

"Listen Stephanie, the only reason you have any say at all around here is because of mom. I'm dad's only son, I'm the oldest and the only heir apparent around here. You can have your two cents, but I have the final say. Is that clear?!" Shane asked practically screaming in Stephanie's face.

Stephanie could feel the strength of Shane's grip on her arm tighten but she refused to let him know just how badly it hurt her. While inside she was grimacing in pain, she somehow was able to maneuver her arm out of his hold.

"Crystal." Stephanie said with provocation in her tone. "But John keeps the title." She ended.

Shane laughed at the idea.

"What is it with you and John anyway? Are you trying to rob the cradle or something? Steph, I'm shocked, you're a married woman." Shane said with mock expression and then continued to laugh until Paul was now on him as he held Shane's collar in his clenched fist.

"Take it back boy or you'll regret the day I even became part of this fucked up family." Paul warned.

Shane raised his hands in the air innocence.

"Okay, okay, I take it back." Shane confessed insincerely with a smirk.

As soon as Paul let him go he grabbed his jacket off the chair next to him and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, we're not done yet?" Stephanie asked.

"Come get me when you two are done arguing." Paul said and then slammed the door behind him.

As Shane continued to smirk he wondered just how far from the truth he was about Stephanie. Regardless of whether or not she actually was developing a little crush on John, Shane would use it to his advantage, even if it meant destroying her marriage with Paul.

oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

Paul turned the corner, still fuming over what Shane said and about the simple fact that their so called "creative" meeting was nothing more than Stephanie and Shane trying to one up each other. If Paul had to choose between the two, of course he would pick Stephanie. Her decision making may not have always been correct, but it was based on what she felt was right for the business as a whole. On the other hand, Shane seemed to base his decisions off of furthering his own agenda, whether it be with the WWE divas, or with himself.

"Whoa, slow down man." Shawn said as Paul almost ran him over when he turned the corner. "How was the meeting?" He asked.

"Numb nuts booked himself in another main event match. He's under the impression that fans actually want to see a half assed version of the Coast to Coast yet again." Paul scoffed.

"You mean the Van Daminator? The same move Shane conveniently put in his already limited move set and removed from RVD's?" Shawn asked.

"That's the one."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. The wheels in his head were now spinning as he scratched his chin with a smirk. Upon his arrival to the WWE, RVD was without question one of the best athletes to come their way. Shane conveniently used one of Rob's signature finishers at Wrestlemania to get over with the crowd. From that point forward, Rob knew he was screwed. His move set was reduced to practically nothing, he would be jobbing left and right to less talented mid card wrestlers, and he would never get the opportunity to work a main event PPV match. Meanwhile, Shane McMahon had used the Van Daminator on more than several occasions and shamelessly tried to pass it off as one of his own, even renaming it to "The Coast to Coast". The whole thing never sat well with RVD, and to many of the other wrestlers back stage. But what are you going to do, that was the boss's son. If he wanted to steal a move and ban others from using it, that was his purgative. It was all just part of backstage politics.

"Well, now that Rob's gone, there shouldn't be any reason why other Superstars don't get to use that move. I think it's due time ShaneO and the fans get reintroduced to one of the best finishers of all time. I know Punk's been dying to use that move for a while. I think its due time we let him do it."

Paul smirked at Shawn. He knew exactly what he had in mind and he loved the idea of Shane McMahon taking one in the face. He was almost certain the fans would love it too.

"Shane will be pissed." Paul replied trying to keep a straight face. "Let's do it."

As Paul and Shawn got a great chuckle over what they had planned for the Boy Wonder, Shawn turned serious for a moment.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Stephanie? You know about what we discussed last night?" Shawn asked.

Paul lowered his head. After yet another argument with his wife, the frustration was mounting. He would always love Stephanie, but maybe they were better off as friends. The pressures of trying to be a normal couple while at the same time working and seeing each other every single day was just too much. Paul had his needs and with Stephanie now entirely focused on the business, they weren't being fulfilled. Maybe it was time to separate Paul had decided.

"Not yet. She's just too wrapped up in the business right now, I doubt she'll even care." Paul spat.

**A/N: Told you I'd make up for any short chapters with a long one (lol). As always, thank you for any feedback. It really helps me to know what is working.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The night before the next Raw, Stephanie lay in her bed tossing and turning. Ever since the previous week she'd been finding it hard to get any sleep at all. She wondered if Shane felt as anxious as she did, but she doubted it. It seemed the only worries on his mind lately were how to humiliate Stephanie even further and where his next fuck would come from.

"Damn woman, would you stop!" Paul demanded as he tried to bury his head under a pillow.

He swore if she accidentally kicked or elbowed him one more time he would sleep on the floor.

"Paul, I'm sorry, I just can't sleep. I'm worried about the show tomorrow." She confided.

Paul lifted the pillow briefly.

"Stop worrying, it will be fine." He grumbled.

Little did she know what he and Shawn had planned for the main event. Of course the show would be fine.

"Damn it Paul, how can you be so nonchalant about things?" Stephanie suddenly burst out. "Shane's in the main event. He wants John to job to him. So when people start bitching abut how crappy the booking is lately and fans stop buying tickets, I'm the one who will have to do all the explaining and take the fall." Stephanie finished now in tears. All the emotions building up inside of her coming out all at once.

"Fuck Stephanie, why are you yelling at me? I just want some sleep." Paul spat back as he got up from the bed and headed to the door. The idea of sleeping on the floor now sounded like heaven to him.

Stephanie knew she was wrong in taking her anxiousness out on Paul, but she had no one else to turn to.

"Paul, wait." Stephanie pleaded. There was one thing she had to know. "Do you think I should have John drop the belt?" She asked him.

Part of what Shane had told her at the last creative meeting was now starting to haunt her. She wondered if her belief in John was starting to cloud her vision. Maybe there was something more to it? John was a hard worker, always on time, always respectful to fans, well liked back stage, great stage presence and….extremely attractive. He had the whole package. Not only did Stephanie believe in John, she also somehow felt connected to him on a personal level. The very idea of Shane insinuating that her like for John was purely sexual pissed her off more than anything. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if there was some truth to what he said.

"I think you need to stop worrying so much about what other people think and do what you feel is best for the business. Fuck Shane, and fuck anyone who doesn't like it. If you don't have any confidence in yourself how the hell do you expect anyone else to have confidence in you?" Paul replied, finally getting a chance to say what he had been wanting to say now for weeks. "Vince isn't coming back Steph so you either stand up for yourself or take a back seat. Either way, leave me out of your little war with ShaneO. I honestly could give a fuck about Cena, but if he continues to screw up matches then yes, he should drop the belt." Paul declared.

Stephanie stared at Paul with big eyes. He was right and she knew it. The thought though of letting Shane have his way by making John lose the title was a bitter pill she didn't want to swallow. Shane was pushing hard for Umaga to have the belt and he wasn't willing to compromise. Stephanie just didn't now how it would benefit anyone with Umaga holding the title belt. More importantly than her concern over feeding Shane's power trip was the fact that she simply could not let go of her need to protect the one man who seemed to be on her mind almost all the time as of late. Whether she or John realized it or not, John Cena was slowly working his way into the Billion Dollar Princess' heart.

"I'll be on the floor in the other room getting some sleep if you need me." Paul growled and then slammed the door behind him.

oooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo

The following evening, Stephanie marched past Shane who she hoped wouldn't see her. She hated the fact that Shane would be facing John in a main event match simply because Shane wanted to "teach" John a lesson for screwing up the previous week. It was his way of saying, _screw up again and you'll be jobbing to every superstar on the roster._

"Whoa, Steph, hold up."

_Damn it._ Stephanie thought to herself. As she turned there was Shane walking over in her direction.

"Word of advice tonight Steph, just sit back and let me handle things, I'll show what a successful show looks like." He told her smugly with a smirk on his face and his arms folded across his chest.

Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Right Shane, two bikini matches, another segment of the oh so interesting Masterlock challenge and you in the main event?" Stephanie shook her head and Shane just continued to smile at her.

Before Shane could make any further smart ass comments, both Stephanie and Shane looked confused as CM Punk walked by.

"Evening." He said as he nodded his head and continued on.

"What's he doing here?" Shane questioned with a quizzical look on his face.

Stephanie was wondering the same thing. CM Punk was strictly ECW. She looked at her brother and simply shrugged her shoulders. That was his problem tonight, not hers.

As Stephanie walked away she tried to keep her focus. Despite Shane's comments, Stephanie would not just sit back. She would follow through with her responsibilities for the night. Even though Shane had taken it upon himself to book a majority of the matches, the scripts and promos still had to be drawn out and executed. Her first job was to find John Cena and make sure he was ready to cut the first promo. For whatever reason, Stephanie's heart raced. Knowing that John would have to job to her brother was almost as embarrassing to her as it would be for John. It was her job though to reassure him that this was a one time thing. Let Shane have his fun this week. They would be back on track after tonight's show was all over.

ooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo

CM Punk walked over the where Paul and Shawn Michaels were talking with a big smile on his face.

"Hey guys." He greeted them as both Shawn and Paul shook his hand.

"Thanks for coming to the show Punk." Paul said. "You know what you have to do tonight right?"

CM Punk scratched the bottom of his chin as he thought about laying Shane McMahon out in the middle of the ring with the Coast to Coast.

"Yeah man, I got it. Thanks for the opportunity." He replied and then walked away.

Shawn and Paul both smiled as he left.

"Shane still has no idea right?" Shawn asked his friend.

"Hell no. Shane's too busy trying to get his penis up some unsuspecting diva's skirt. Although he tries to act like it, he has no clue what's going on." Paul finished slapping Shawn on the back as the two got a good laugh.

oooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOO

As John waited to start the first promo of the night, Stephanie approached him trying hard to stay focused on her responsibilities regardless of how bad Shane was trying to screw everything up.

"John, I'm sorry again about tonight. Shane's doing all the booking and..." She started to say, but John cut her off.

"Don't sweat it Steph. I know how Shane is, but I screwed up last week, I suppose I deserve it." John said smiling and letting his dimples show.''

"Well, it's not fair what my brother is doing. I just wanted you to know that." Stephanie replied back honestly.

Then suddenly, Stephanie heard the familiar bellow of her brother.

"Stephanie!" He yelled as he walked into the room. "Where the hell are the bikini's the divas are to wear for their matches tonight? We've been promoting a bikini match on our website all week. I need those fucking bikinis on those divas now!" He said as sweat now formed on his brow.

Finally, Stephanie thought, Shane was starting to feel some pressure. Now it was his turn to know what it felt like to have everyone staring at you and just waiting for you to fuck up. John in the meantime tried to hold back his amusement.

"How should I know Shane, this is your show tonight, remember?" Stephanie replied.

"Don't get smart with me Stephanie." Shane said as he got in her face and pointed a finger in her direction. "If I fail, you fail, problem though for you is that regardless of what happens tonight, you'll still be the one left holding the bag. I warn you Stephanie, if this bikini match doesn't happen tonight I blaming you!" Shane spat and then turned in the other direction and practically slammed the door behind him, leaving John and Stephanie with a raised eyebrow.

"Man, what an asshole." John said under his breath until he noticed Stephanie had actually heard him. "Oops, sorry Steph." He said looking away from her.

Stephanie just shook her head. Of course she had no idea what happened with the bikinis the divas were to wear for their matches. Worse case scenario they simply just have a real wrestling match instead of some forced gimmick match for the sole pleasure of Shane McMahon and a bunch of horny sixteen year old boys. Of course, Shane didn't see it that way and he would be sure to take it out on Stephanie at a later time.

"Stephanie, what's wrong?" John asked moving over to her as he noticed her mood turn darker since Shane's little charade seconds ago.

"It's nothing John." She responded. John shrugged his shoulders and turned away. Why would the "boss" confide in a lowly wrestler anyway? He understood and gave her the space she obviously needed.

"You know what?" Stephanie suddenly declared. She was tired of holding back. Sure, it may not have been the most professional thing to do. To let one of your employees she you wear your emotions on your sleeve, but she needed someone to talk to. Paul had made it clear he was tired of Stephanie and her little power struggle with Shane, but whether he liked it or not, this was her life right now. Everyone predicted that once Vince had passed on that this is what would happen. Stephanie would much rather she and Shane find a way to work together, but Shane was an asshole and that was that.

"I'm tired of all this." Stephanie finally declared, getting John's attention. "What am I here for anyway John? To fight with Shane over every little detail?" She asked more to herself than to anyone in particular.

No wonder Vince insisted on making all the decisions when it came to producing the show and booking the matches. Him and Linda were the perfect team. Why couldn't she and Shane be the same way?

John at this moment didn't know what to say. It was awkward for him. For the first time since he had known her, Stephanie had shown her more vulnerable side. He and the other wrestlers were so used to simply seeing her as Stephanie McMahon, The Billion Dollar Princess and the boss's daughter. But there was so much more to her than anyone ever cared to know or that she even dared let anyone see. In a world run mostly by men, Stephanie had always found it necessary to be strong, at all times. Shane of course had the luxury of simply being himself. Because he was a man, he was by default already accepted by the boys in the back. Stephanie on the other hand had tens times more to prove. The pressure of recent weeks was becoming too much for her.

Stephanie simply had one goal, to keep the dream and the business her father had built from the ground up alive. But maybe she was in over her head. Did she really have what it took to run such a harsh business?

"Steph." John finally spoke. Maybe what Stephanie needed right now wasn't for him to be John Cena, WWE Champion, but a friend instead. He guessed she probably didn't have many regardless of how fair or unfair it was. "Don't worry about Shane. Eventually his ego will get the best of him. I think the WWE needs you right now. Who else is going to keep ShaneO in check?" John asked now smiling down at Stephanie.

As Stephanie looked up at John with big blue eyes a single tear found its way down her cheek. Almost with out thinking, John took his thumb and gently wiped it away. But before either one could get too lost in the moment, Paul opened the door to see the both of them standing face to face.

"Paul?" Stephanie spun around toward him, she couldn't help but to feel a little guilty. John had made her feel something in that moment she never expected.

Paul didn't notice a thing though, he had other things on his mind.

"Tell your brother if he gets in my face again I'll forget who he is and smash his face in." Paul warned.

"The bikinis?" Stephanie asked knowing what Paul was referring to.

Paul shook his head as he rolled his eyes.

"The girls will have their match, nothing changes. Shane will just have to deal with them actually wrestling for a change rather than simply flaunting all over the ring." Paul said angrily and before leaving the room taking notice of just how close John and Stephanie were standing next to each other.

As soon as Paul was out of earshot from Stephanie, Shawn walked up next to him.

"So Shane doesn't like the fact that there won't be a bikini match I take it?" Shawn said knowingly. "Just wait till he finds out he won't exactly have his way with the main event match either." Shawn smirked.

"You put the bikinis where I asked you too?" Paul asked making sure their tracks were covered.

Shawn nodded confidently and the two smiled. Looking forward to the main event.

**A/N: Please review if you have any time. THANK YOU!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Shane McMahon danced to the ring he relished in the few fans that cheered him and ignored the many that didn't. He could barely contain the smirk on his face as he rolled into the ring. Even though the night hadn't gone exactly as he had planned, this main event match was sure to make up for any other shortcomings. In the back of his head though, Shane would remember that someone would pay for not having those bikini's ready for the diva's matches earlier in the evening. Regardless though, the fans would get to see a real treat as "Super Shane" would once again execute a move that was now so far removed from RVD or any other wrestler, that people actually thought it was his own.

Backstage Stephanie looked over at The Champ John Cena who was about to make his entry. He anticipated a chorus of boos, but what mattered most to him was not the boos, but entertaining fans. He truly loved the business and if he had to be Shane's little ego bitch for one night, he'd do it, as long as the fans got their money's worth.

"Don't worry John, I won't let this happen again. Jobbing to a non wrestler doesn't do any good for anyone's career." Stephanie reassured him with a slight smile.

She simply hated the fact that Shane was using John to play his little power trip games. She wondered though if it would have upset as much if it had been any other wrestler other than John.

"It's called rolling with the punches. I'm good." John replied warmly just before he heard his entrance music blaring through the arena.

Before John made his exit he looked back at Stephanie and smiled. Underneath all the backstage political bull crap and the McMahon facade, Stephanie was a genuinely warm person. If he had to choose, he would be one wrestler to stand by her side whenever necessary.

"Punk's all ready?" Shawn asked Paul as the two watched in the distance the exchange between Stephanie and John.

Paul couldn't help but to be just a little annoyed at the way Stephanie seemed to show favoritism toward Cena. He hoped it wasn't simply to piss Shane off. Week by week he could feel her simply slipping away, and as Stephanie seemed to take more concern with her job and less concern with her marriage, the he could have cared less.

"Yeah, Punk's all ready." Paul returned with a smirk.

"Hey." Both Shawn and Paul turned at the sound of an innocent but sexy female voice.

"Hey Candice." Paul acknowledged.

"I just wanted to thank you for getting me out of that damn bikini match. I know it's what Shane wanted and I don't know how you did it, but thank you." She said gratefully.

Paul looked over at Shawn. _How the hell did she know it was them that made it happen_ he wondered? Shawn quickly looked away to avoid Paul's not so pleased stare. Candice could tell by the exchange that she should not have said anything. It was actually Shawn who told her.

"Well anyway, guess I should go. Thanks again." She said and then got on her tippy toes and gave Paul a little peck on the cheek.

Shawn couldn't help but to smile when he saw Paul soften. But the moment Candice was out of sight, Paul returned his hard stare on Shawn.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Shawn said with his hands raised in innocence. "You just got kissed by Candice. You should be thanking me."

Paul growled underneath his breath. The last thing he wanted Shawn to think was that he was right, he did enjoy the kiss. Even if it was simply out of gratitude. Regardless, he had a reputation to protect.

oo ooooooOO Ooo OOOOOOoO O OOOOOOoooooo

When John Cena finally appeared at the top of the ramp and made his way down to the ring, the arena filled with half cheers and half boos. Shane smiled as he waited for the young superstar. He loved hearing the crowd hate John. Truth be told, Shane hated John too. It didn't matter to him that John had worked his ass off to get where he was. Shane hated John because John was Stephanie's little pet project, and now that Vince was gone, Shane would be sure to get John out of the way as quickly as possible.

At t he sound of the bell, the two men locked up. Shane did his usual headlock, a move most untrained wrestlers executed due to the fact it took no training whatsoever to do. After a few seconds, John finally whipped Shane to the ropes, but as Shane came back toward John, he lowered his head causing John to miss a strike.

After a short game of "cat and mouse" in the ring, Shane finally got the upper hand with a cheap shot to the back. Hammering away at his back Shane drove John to the mat and then executed another strangle hold on the mat. John did his best to sell every move and on this particular night it wouldn't be too hard. Shane seemed to be putting a lot of emphasis on every hold. If John didn't know any better, he would have thought Shane was actually trying to hurt him.

As the ref counted to see if John was ready to give up, a huge smile came across Shane's face.

"Ask him!" Shane yelled at the ref. He wanted John to give up for real so Shane could prove to everyone how tough he thought he was.

But John refused.

Shane now pushing John's neck even harder. Without anyone hearing, Shane lowered his head to John's ear.

"Umaga's my champ Cena, you're going to lose the belt anyway, just give up now and we can all go home." Shane told Cena.

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. The match called for him to receive a coast to coast from Shane at which point Shane would make the pin. It didn't call for John to tap out. There was a big difference.

"I won't tap Shane. We finish the match." John replied, struggling now to get out of Shane's grip.

John now realized just how pathetic Shane was. Shane had to use the convenience of a scripted match in front of thousands of people to get John in a weakened position. As Shane continued to pull back on John's neck and drive elbow after elbow into his back, John wondered why Shane just didn't take him on face to face, outside of the ring, man to man.

"Ask him!" Shane yelled to the ref again.

But this time, John could feel his true anger rising up within him. Instead of tapping and making himself look like the chump Shane wanted him to look like, he managed to get out of Shane's hold and get to his feet.

Although John stood there in the ring waving Shane on, he held a hand to his throat as he tried to clear it. He was now certain that Shane was trying to injure him on purpose and until this match was over, there was still that possibility.

Shane looked at Cena and was now pissed as hell. How dare he defy him in the middle of the ring when he was running the show and signed his paychecks. As he watched Cena now crouched down in his ready position, Shane relaxed and again came the cocky smirk. He looked to the audience to seek their adoration but instead got boos. Then, while John turned his head briefly, Shane took another cheap shot, quickly ran out of the ring, and before John had time to react, nailed John in the forehead with the championship belt.

John fell to the floor immediately.

In the back, Stephanie looked up at the monitor.

"What the hell is Shane doing?" She asked herself, now looking on with concern for John who was now helpless in the ring.

While John lay prone on the mat, Shane dragged John to a corner in order to set up for the coast to coast.

Underneath the ring apron was a trash can that Shane threw into the ring and placed in front of John. Then coolly walking to the other side of the ring and climbing the ropes, Shane stared down at John and got his feet set.

Suddenly, running through the crowd CM Punk came up behind an unaware Shane McMahon and took his feet out from under him, sending the Heir Apparent down until he was straddling the top ring rope between his legs. The pain causing Shane to lose all balance until he finally fell to the mat.

The cheers from the crowd erupted immediately. Punk pointed to Shane who was now lying on the mat and then pointed to the trash can set in front of John. The crowd knew exactly what was about to happen and the cheers got even louder. You could now hear the chant of "Punk, Punk, Punk" coming from the upper decks of the arena.

Punk walked over to John.

"You okay man?" He asked him as a friend.

John was still a little out of it, but was regaining his senses nonetheless.

"Yeah man." He told him.

Punk nodded to John and then grabbed the trash can and brought it to the other side of the ring where Shane was still laying.

He dragged Shane to the corner and prepared for his own version of the coast to coast.

With Shane now in the corner still suffering from the blow to his lower extremities, Punk climbed the to the top rope on the other side, pointed down at Shane, and then in one quick leap jumped to the other side of the ring and kicked the trash can hard into Shane's face.

After the impact, Punk got to his feet and walked over to John.

"Okay man, make the pin." He told him.

John smiled. Staggering to his feet and trying to shake the cob webs away, John made his way over to Shane and rolled his shoulders on to the mat.

"One, two, three!" The crowd chanted in unison as the ref hit the mat for the pin three times.

"And your winner, John Cena!" Lilian Garcia announced as John stood in the ring with Punk, both men with their hands raised in victory.

Backstage, Paul and Shawn were pleased with the roar of the crowd in the arena. It had been a long time that the fans actually got into a match and based on their perception, and the perception of most of everyone else backstage, this night was indeed a success.

**A/N: Okay, I think I'll stop there. I know most of this chapter was the match between Shane and John and I will be the first to admit writing matches are not my strong point, but I hope you all enjoyed. The night isn't over yet though. In the next chapter the shit hits the fan when we get Stephanie and Shane's reaction to Paul and Shawn's takeover of Raw (lol). The next update should come pretty quick.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

After slowly working his way backstage, Shane held his mouth that had been bloodied no thanks to Punk with one hand, and his wounded manhood in the other.

"Get me a towel damn it!" He yelled to anyone that would listen.

First, the failure of the bikini matches he had planned, then John refusing to tap out, and now CM Punk interfering in his match to give John the win when it was supposed to be Shane. There was only one person that could have been behind it all and that was Stephanie. Shane was now on the warpath.

"Stephanie!" He yelled for his sister as soon as he finished wiping the blood from his face.

Stephanie, who was standing nearby heard the roar of her brother and rolled her eyes. Truth be told, she had no clue what was going on tonight. It seemed that everything Shane had planned for Raw, the opposite actually happened. And even though Raw turned out to be a huge success and she truly did enjoy seeing Shane look like an ass, someone was working the show behind both their backs.

"You fucking bitch!" Shane spat as he finally laid eyes on Stephanie and made his way over to her. It took him no time at all to place both his hands on her arms and shake her as he tried to get some answers. "What the hell are you doing? You sent Punk out there didn't you, you lying little whore!" He yelled.

To everyone looking on, they could hardly believe Shane's outburst. To be upset was one thing but to call your very own sister a whore was another. It took Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy to pull Shane off his sister.

"You'll pay for this Stephanie, I promise you. Nobody fuck's around with me like that and gets away with it. I call the shots around here Stephanie. You're nothing but a mindless little brat used to getting her way. Well that ends tonight because dear old dad isn't here to protect you anymore. No one wants a woman running this business, so do us all a favor and go back to doing what you do best. Sucking off John Cena!" Shane finally ended knowing that he had struck a chord in Stephanie with his last remark.

As Shane stormed away, Stephanie looked at everyone around her. She was devastated by Shane's words. She had already been doubting herself and her decisions especially when it came to John. Now Shane had publicly accused her of cheating on Paul with him, in one of the most degrading ways possible.

Without a word, Stephanie bolted from the area as fast as she could. She could hear the whispers amplified in her head and those few that pointed in her direction with what she saw as laughter were clear symbols of the people who now enjoyed seeing her suffer. So many people had been wanting her to fail and accused her of so many different things, that now they had the luxury of seeing her pain. Stephanie decided that maybe all her critics were right. She wasn't cut out for this business. Although she shared the passion her dad had for it and the energy to work 12 hour days every day of the week, she was now discovering that is took more than just desire. It took a thick skin that she at this moment in time simply didn't feel like she had. If Shane wanted to run the company all for himself, so be it. But Stephanie was tired of the accusations and the harsh judgments continually sent her way. She had often wondered why she had been the one who was always to blame when someone didn't like a push or a storyline, especially when the ideas came collectively and as business would go, you can't please everyone. But whatever the reason, she was always to blame and now all the naysayers would simply need to find someone else to hate when things didn't go their way.

"Whoa, slow down." Paul said as Stephanie turned the corner in tears and slammed hard into her husband.

Stephanie looked up at Paul. When she should have been relieved to see a friendly face, she wasn't at all. Paul had become a stranger to her.

"You okay?" Paul asked truly concerned.

Stephanie straightened up and sucked in her tears. She looked down at the bag she was carrying over her shoulder and pulled out four sets of bikinis. She held them in the air so that Paul could see them.

"I found these in your bag." She said, feeling more hurt than ever.

It was bad enough that Shane had called her a whore and accused her of giving John Cena blow jobs, but she didn't expect anything less from him. Shane was a sore loser and an asshole. Paul on the other hand was not only her husband, but her best friend. She knew the spark between them was dying due to all the recent pressure she had been feeling, but for Paul to go behind her back as he did tonight hurt her to the core.

"I hope you enjoyed the show." She said.

Paul looked down almost ashamed. He and Shawn did indeed enjoy the show. They were on cloud nine when they saw how pissed Shane was as he left the arena and the buzz from fans was already a positive one. What he didn't anticipate was how upset Stephanie would be.

"I have to hand it to you, it was a success. Congratulations." She said. "You obviously know more about this business than I do."

Paul put his hand gently on Stephanie's shoulder.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I know I should have told you, but every time I got near you, you were always too busy fighting with Shane. It's like you've become obsessed with beating him to the punch." Paul finally admitted.

Stephanie laughed to herself. Paul, for all his Neanderthal looks, was still a pretty sharp guy. He could read people almost better than anyone she knew. But, unfortunately for both of them, he was only halfway correct in his assumptions.

"You're right Paul, I let Shane get under my skin, but the fact is I really just wanted to prove that I can run this damn show without leaning on anyone but myself. Before dad died Shane and I always had him to make the big decisions. We've always kind of been under his shadow. I needed this show to prove that I belong here. I'm not in it for the money or the power. I just wanted to know that what I'm doing here is worth something. I suppose you answered that for me tonight though." Stephanie replied, now the tears creeping back to her face.

"Stephanie, I'm sorry." Paul told her as he pulled her into a hug, but Stephanie pushed him away.

"It's too late. If you and Shane want to battle it out, so be it. I'm tired of all this Paul. I guess I'm just not cut out to run the WWE as dad had hoped. Goodbye." Stephanie said and then walked away to her car thinking heavily about just walking away from the business and leaving it to Shane.

OOoooooo oo ooo oooOOOOoooo oooOOOOoooooo

As Shane starts walking to his car, still fuming over his match with John, he catches a glimpse of Candice off to the side.

"Don't worry Candice, I'll have that bikini match next week." He tells her knowing that she was the one diva who was against it from the start.

While Shane continued to stand before Candice, the young brunette diva looked on with concern. Now that Shane had even more power backstage since Vince was no longer around, she was sure he would use it to get whatever he wanted, including whomever he wanted.

"Shane you know I don't want to do those kind of matches." Candice said almost hesitantly. The last thing she wanted to do was piss of the already agitated male McMahon heir more than he was already.

Shane smiled down at Candice as he moved ever so slightly closer to her. His big body now starting to intimidate Candice in a bad way.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I've already made up my mind. The only way you can change it is by personally showing me your assets privately." Shane said as his eyes gazed down over her body until they rested on her chest.

Candice backed away slightly causing Shane to laugh to himself. To him it really didn't matter what she wanted. What mattered most to him was what he wanted, and sooner or later that would be Candice. He'd already made the rounds with several of the young divas already, and quite frankly, Melina was starting to bore him in the bed room.

"I'll see you later Candice. You just let me know what it's going to be, okay?" He said winking at her just before he got in his car, slammed the door and sped away.

oo o oo oooOOOOOOOo o oo oOOOOO oOOOoo oo o OOOOOO

While Paul gathered his things he felt torn inside. Everything he and Shawn had planned for the night went exactly the way they wanted it to. He enjoyed the fact that he and his buddy were solely responsible for the night's success and not anyone with the last name McMahon. On the other hand Stephanie's spirit had now been broken. Whether he intentionally played a part in it or not, he hated seeing her that way. Even though he found himself falling out of love with her, he didn't necessarily want her to throw her whole career away and for her to declare something as such seemed a little rash on her part.

"Stephanie okay? I heard what Shane did." John Cena said from behind Paul.

Paul spun around to face John. He honestly was in no mood to talk about Stephanie right now with anyone, but what John said did spark his curiosity.

"Really, what did Shane do exactly?" Paul asked.

John now started to feel uncomfortable. He assumed that Stephanie would have told Paul exactly what Shane did, but as luck would have it, that wasn't the case. So now John was stuck between a rock and a hard place as one might say.

"He called her a, uh, well..." John started. He was now starting to wish he were somewhere else at that moment in time.

"Spill it Cena or I shove my fist down your throat." Paul warned now stepping up to John with his chest out.

"He uh, called her a whore, and then he uh,..." But before John could finish, Paul turned away and walked off down the hall.

The fact that Shane had accused Stephanie in front of everyone of offering John sexual favors pissed John off more than anything. But John Cena was in no position to do what he really wanted to do to Shane, and that was hurt him bad. Paul on the other had was.

As Paul stormed off to his car, he thought about heading straight to where ever he could gat his hands on Shane, but reason overcame him. He needed to talk to Stephanie more than anything. No one knew Stephanie as well as he did. Despite her tough exterior, Stephanie McMahon was more sensitive to critism than people realized. It was one of the reasons she continued to put so much pressure on herself. It was one of the reasons she was now debating on whether she actually belonged in the WWE, even though it was a family run business and she had been groomed personally by Vince McMahon himself. Regardless of the difficulties that lie between Stephanie and Paul in their marriage now, Paul knew that Shane calling her a whore in front of not only her employees, put her critics alike hurt her more than anything. And what was worse was the fact that it happened after Stephanie had already realized that Paul and Shawn Michaels were in reality running the show. Not Shane or Stephanie, and that is why it was a success.

ooOOoo oo OOOO Oooo oooOOO Ooo oo OOOOoooo

By the time Paul had reached the hotel where he and Stephanie were staying, Stephanie was already in bed, and for the moment seemed to be sleeping. Paul entered the bedroom and looked his wife over. He couldn't help but to think back to better times. As much as he thought of Vince as being no more than a pain in the ass, things were so much easier when he was around. Stephanie was so much more confident and it showed in everything she did. Both she and Paul shared a love for the business, but because it was still Vince who was calling most of the shots, there was always time for the two of them to just enjoy where they stood in the company. Shane had his role, Stephanie had her role, everyone had their role. Now with Vince out of the picture, those roles got fuzzy. Especially when you have one McMahon so power hungry he can't see beyond his dick, and the other McMahon now questioning every thing she did, what seemed so clear and right before was all just one big mess now.

"Steph baby, I heard what Shane said. I'm sorry." Paul said as he delicately slid into the bed next to Stephanie and whispered in her ear.

Although Stephanie was in bed, she was not a sleep. She had hoped that maybe her tears would wear her out, but there was no luck in that. Instead they simply dried away and she was left with nothing more than one lingering question in her mind: Should she leave the business for good?

"Paul please, not now. I just want to sleep." She told Paul and then pushed the covers even tighter to her body.

Maybe tomorrow she could think clearer, but for now she just wanted to be left alone.

**A/N: Show the love...REVIEW! (lol). Thank to everyone who is reading. You all are the best!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Several days had gone by since the last Raw where Shane basically got his ass handed to him by CM Punk, and Shane was still fuming. He needed to let off steam and that is exactly why Melina was now in his office. Were it his choice it would have been Candice, but he was still working to soften her up and stop being such a 'prude'. Candice would eventually be his next flavor of the month, but for now Melina served as a nice filler.

"Paul and Stephanie sabotaged Raw just to make me look like an idiot out there. I know they want me out." Shane spat as he paced back and forth running a hand through his hair.

Melina sat leisurely with her legs draped over a chair, filing her nails and rolling her eyes.

"Fuck them. If dad were here he'd want me running Raw, and so do half the dumb asses out there watching the show."

"Could you please just drop it." Melina said getting bored of Shane's little rant.

"No, I won't just drop it!" Shane shouted.

This was definitely not what Melina came there for. So after blowing off the any lingering dust from her nails, she got up and snaked over to Shane.

Shane stood with his back turned contemplating how he would get back at both Paul and Stephanie for what they had done.

"I know how to make it all better." Melina whispered as she placed her hands on Shane's broad shoulders and started to massage them.

The insinuation of what Melina had in mind was enough to peak Shane's interest. It's not like it was difficult to distract Shane when it came to sex.

"I bet you do." Shane said as he turned and smiled down at the voluptuous diva.

Then slowly he lowered his head to taste her full lips as his hand reached behind her and up the skimpy top she wore. All the frustration he was feeling would soon be released as he felt his excitement and hunger for her grow in him mentally and physically.

"Well, somebody's ready." Melina noted as she worked to undo Shane's belt and lower the zipper to his pants.

Had Shane not been so caught up in the moment he would have heard as Paul knocked on the door outside. But, Shane did not hear anything. All he was concerned about was getting Melina undressed as quickly as possible before he exploded.

Paul had little patience when it came to Shane so after the first set of knocks he let himself in.

"Working hard Shane?" He asked.

As soon as Shane heard the familiar gruff voice he pushed Melina away from him, practically knocking her to the floor.

"Fuck Paul, ever heard of knocking?" Shane spat as he struggled to pull up his zipper and collect himself.

"Uh, I did knock Einstein, maybe if you weren't so busy with Little Miss Sunshine here you would have heard me."

Shane looked over at Melina with a scowl on his face, while she ran a hand through her hair and tried to make herself look proper again.

"You can leave now." Shane told her.

Melina looked at Shane and then turned to leave as he asked. On her way out she ran her tongue across her lips seductively, making sure Paul would notice. Paul did and he simply rolled his eyes.

"Okay Paul, what do you want, I'm a busy man." Shane stated as he returned to his desk and sat down.

"Yes, I can tell." Paul remarked sarcastically.

Shane glared at the older man with hatred in his eyes. There was definitely no love lost between the two of them, especially recently.

"I wanted to give you a little warning ShaneO." Paul started. "You call my wife, your sister, a whore again and I'll have you strung up to the rafters by your toes or something much worse."

Shane smirked confidently at Paul, but he couldn't help but to take a quick look down at the body part Paul was referring to, and it wasn't his toes.

"Make all the threats you want Paul, but soon I'll be in a position to have your ass fired from this company, so I suggest you don't cross me again."

Paul laughed to himself. Shane's bravado amused him more than anything.

Shane continued.

"I don't know why you don't see it."

Triple H smirked.

"See what? Indulge me."

"Stephanie and John Cena. She has a crush one the man. It really wouldn't surprise me if the two of them haven't already consummated their working relationship into something more…and you know what I'm referring to."

"Why you little…" Paul said as he immediately went after Shane and pulled him up out of his chair by his collar.

"Give me one reason not to punch you in the face right now." Paul said with his right fist already cocked backwards.

"Because you know I'm right. Why else would Stephanie let John hold the belt for so long. Why else would she be protecting him after all his screw ups. You and I both know he should have dropped the belt months ago.

Paul held Shane tight. He wanted desperately to throw his fist down his throat and tell him to fuck off, but there was a side of him that found some sense in what he was saying. Stephanie seemed to be slipping away from him. Maybe it wasn't the stress of her job as he assumed. Maybe it was John.

After a few intense seconds, Paul threw Shane back in his chair.

As Shane fixed his tie he couldn't help but to smile. It was obvious what he had said was getting under Paul's skin. Shane wondered why he hadn't thought of it earlier. Get Paul thinking Stephanie is having an affair with John, and sit back and watch as the two of them tried to save their marriage. Meanwhile, Shane could take control of Raw while they were preoccupied with their personal issues. As a bonus, John may just find himself at the other end of a Triple H style beating.

"Remember what I said Shane. You call Stephanie a whore again and you're all mine." Paul said and then turned to leave, making sure to slam the door behind him.

ooOo ooOOOO oooOOoOOOOOo ooOOOOOo

"I just got off the phone with JR." Vince said to Linda who was working on her laptop.

"And, how are the kids?"

"I'm worried about Stephanie."

Linda stopped typing and folded her laptop away.

"Why, the ratings from last week's show were up. The last match was a huge success."

"Yes, but apparently neither Shane nor Stephanie had anything to do with it. And beyond that JR seems to think Stephanie is losing interest. Meanwhile, our son Shane is letting some of his new found power go to his head. Apparently he was raving like a maniac after last week's show.

Linda looked at her husband thinking how ironic his statement was. Shane truly was his father's son.

"Well, you have to have at least one McMahon backstage filling that role right?" Linda said half joking and half serious.

Vince glared at his wife as if to say, _not now Linda._

"I'll give it a few more weeks. If not for the ratings boost, I'd be inclined to just give up this little charade and get back in the drivers seat."

"But you know this is what they need right now. In a few years both you and I will be leaving the company we've worked so hard to build to our children. It's better they go through this now so we can prepare them for the future."

Vince rubbed his temple. He was not a patient man and having to just sit back and watch was killing him. 

"A few more weeks Linda." He said. "By the way, if Shane and Stephanie weren't responsible for the main event last week, I wonder who was?" He asked.

Linda shrugged her shoulders. Despite the difficulties Shane and Stephanie seemed to be having, somehow the ratings were actually getting better. Vince was determined to find out who was responsible for it and why.

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

As Paul started loosening up in preparation for his match, Shawn Michaels walked up to him with a huge grin on his face.

"Okay, what are you up to?" Paul asked, knowing his friend better than anyone.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders as if he was completely innocent, and then pulled out a mini video camera.

"I thought we'd start a new segment tonight. It's called 'McMahon's Exposed!'" He said with a grin.

Paul lifted an eyebrow.

"McMahon's Exposed huh?"

"Yeah, I go find Steph and Shaney in one of their heated little exchanges, record it and we show it at the top of the show. Then every week we capture the two at each others throats. The fans will eat it up."

Sadly enough, Paul knew it wouldn't be difficult for Shawn to capture Shane and Stephanie in an argument.

"Okay, Shawn, do what you want. I'm just not feeling all that great tonight."

Shawn looked at his friend in a more serious way. He could tell that Paul was under a lot of stress and guessed it had something to do with the recent troubles he was having with Stephanie.

"Everything okay between you and Steph?" He asked.

Paul looked to the ground. He simply was not able to shake the image of Stephanie and John Cena being together somehow. The thought of Stephanie having an affair, no thanks to Shane, was killing him inside. Then there was the fact that He and Stephanie hardly ever talked anymore. Sure, they would share the same bed at night, but Stephanie seemed so distant. Whenever the subject of wrestling came up, she just never seemed to want to talk about it, or the business.

"Not really bro, but that's between me and you." Paul replied.

Shawn nodded his head and placed a hand on Paul's shoulder.

"Okay man, how about I handle the mischief alone tonight, you do what you need to do." He told him and then headed off in search of material for his new segment.

oo ooooooOOOOOO oooooo ooooOOOOOO ooOOOO Ooo

Shane McMahon tapped lightly on the woman's locker room door.

"Shane here, I need to speak with Candice!"

Upon hearing the co-owner's voice, Melina opened the door with a grin on her face. She immediately moved her body up close to Shane's and placed a hand on his chest.

"She's not taking my place now is she Shane?" Melina questioned.

Shane smirked at the well shaped diva.

"Of course not, this is business. I'm putting her in a bra and panties match with you and this time I want to make sure nothing happens with the wardrobe.

Melina wasn't buying for a second that this had anything to do with 'business', as Shane suggested, but she did like the fact that Shane seemed to be quite irritated with Candice's defiant behavior as of late.

"Okay then, she's right inside. There's no other girls in there. Maybe I should stay." Melina suggested.

"Uh uh, maybe you should go. This is a business matter Melina like I said, I don't need you here, I need you getting ready for your match. Understood?" Shane asked as if he were talking to a child and not a full grown woman.

Melina narrowed her eyes evilly. She didn't like Shane's tone and the fact that Shane would be alone with Candice in the women's locker room. Fucking the bosses son was her job, she didn't want anyone else stepping on her territory. Especially not her arch rival Candice.

"Okay Shane, but don't do anything I wouldn't do." She warned him and then walked away making sure that Shane would check out her ass as she left.

While Shane watched Melina round the corner, he turned his attention back to the women's locker room. Slowly he opened the door and peaked inside.

"Hello?" He called out quietly while his eye searched the room.

Going further inside he could hear someone coming out of the shower and a smile came across his face. He waited patiently until he saw Candice emerge with only a towel on and drying her wet hair.

"Well, what have we here?" He said, practically causing Candice to jump out of her skin.

The second Candice heard the man's voice and looked up to notice it was Shane, she used whatever she had to cover herself up even more. Her hair still dripping from the water.

"Shane, what are you doing here?"

Shane laughed to himself.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I own the place. I'm here to make sure you get dressed for your match tonight."

Candice cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, and what match is that?" She asked defiantly.

"A bra and panties match. I picked these out special for you." He replied, now holding up the very scantily clad attire.

Candice looked at the hot pink lingerie that Shane was holding realizing that it was practically nothing. She had been asked to do a lot of things, but this was ridiculous. After all her training and hard work, she had hoped she could some day be taken seriously as a wrestler. But now that Shane suddenly had more power backstage, and Stephanie seemed to be no where in the picture, things were going in the opposite direction for her and the entire woman's division.

"Shane, I'm not wearing that, there's practically nothing there."

"Exactly." Shane replied smiling. He could have cared less what Candice wanted. His concern now was for the ratings and his own pursuit to fulfill his pleasures.

As Shane approached Candice he looked her over, imagining everything that lie behind the towels she was using to cover herself up. But the closer Shane moved toward her, the more Candice stepped backwards.

"What are you so afraid of Candice, I'm not going to hurt you. Just get dressed and get ready for your match. Stop being such a prude. You want to hold on to the Women's Championship right? Well you need to start paying your dues. Think about what the fans want."

Candice laughed to herself? The fans? The fans wanted wrestling. Only men like Shane and horny twelve year old boys wanted the bra and panties matches.

"I need to talk to Stephanie first, now please Shane, just leave and let me get dressed." She said, now almost begging.

Shane shook his head. The fact that Candice was acting as if she had a choice at all in the matter was really starting to irritate him. His movements toward the young woman now became more aggressive. So much so that Candice had now found herself backed up against the wall.

Shane leaned in on her and put his hand against the wall, while his other hand traced the bare skin of her shoulders. His touch alone sent chills down Candice's spine. She was trapped and she knew it, and there was no telling what the heir to the WWE might do.

"When are you going to learn Candice, Stephanie isn't running the show. I am." He told her strongly. "Now get in the wardrobe that I picked out for you, or lose your job. It's that simple."

Candice looked up at Shane with big frightful eyes. As Shane took one step back to watch Candice get dressed, a smugness came over his face. Finally Candice dropped one of her towels, exposing more of her body than before. Her legs were practically shaking as Shane's eyes remained pinned on her. Never before had she felt so humiliated than in that moment.

"Oh, wait a second." Shane said as Candice was about to slide the panties on first just up under her last remaining towel.

Shane once gain moved closer to her and lowered his head so that he could get a better look at the upper part of her thighs. Then suddenly, he reached out a hand and let it slide up the side of her leg until it was pushing the lower part of her towel upward, now exposing her female parts.

Candice held tightly to her towel with one hand and then quickly pushed Shane's hand away.

"No Shane stop!" She told him, which only angered the dark haired man more.

"Listen bitch, I'm tired of playing these games with you."

Then before she knew it, Shane had moved in on her again and placed a sloppy kiss to her lips.

Outside the locker room, Shawn Michaels was roaming the hallway hoping to find Shane and Stephanie together in heated battle. As he passed the women's locker room, he heard both a man and a woman's voice inside and his curiosity got the best of him. Hell, after all, he did have a camera with him. Who knew what great footage he might be able to capture?

Listening closer, but unable to completely hear what was being said, he recognized one voice, that of Shane McMahon.

"Bingo." He said to himself with a grin and then quietly opened the door to peak inside, ready at any moment to start video taping.

But the second Shawn saw Shane forcing himself on Candice Michelle, all thoughts of video taping when out the door and only his anger was left to deal with the situation.

"Shane! Get your hands off of her."

Shane turned his head immediately upon hearing Shawn's voice. Candice was also surprised but seized the opportunity to get away from Shane, and teach him a lesson at the same time, by driving her knee up between his legs as hard as she could.

Upon impact Shane fell to the floor immediately holding his groin and groaning from the pain.

"Candice, are you okay?" Shawn asked as Candice stepped over Shane and ran towards him, still holding on tightly to her towel.

Shawn held her in his arms, still shocked to see what he had walked in on.

"Oh my God Shawn, thank you." Candice said through her tears.

Shawn looked down at Shane who was now struggling to get to his feet.

"You have some explaining to do boy." He told him in his deep, husky voice.

Shane looked at both Shawn and Candice in anger, continuing to hold his groin in the hopes that the pain would soon go away.

"This is none of your business Shawn. Candice had better learn how to take direction in this company or she's going to find herself on the street like the whore she is."

Shawn's eyes narrowed at the younger man as he let go of Candice and went after Shane, grabbing him hard by the collar.

"You piece of crap."

"Shawn stop!" Candice begged.

Still holding onto Shane, Shawn looked over at Candice and saw the concern wash over her face. Slowly he released Shane and stepped away.

"This isn't the last of this boy. Stephanie will know just how you're dealing with your employees. No wonder your father kept you at corporate and let Stephanie manage creative."

"Whatever Shawn. Go run to Stephanie all you want, but stay out of my way. This is my business to run and I'll do it whatever way I see fit." Shane replied and then took one last hard look at both Shawn and Candice, and turned to leave.

Shawn shook his head as he made his way back over to Candice.

"Man, what an asshole. You sure you're okay?" He asked her, once again wrapping his arms around her.

Candice welcomed the warmness and comfort in the older man's touch. She'd never noticed it before, but Shawn Michaels was one of the sexiest men on the roster. It also didn't hurt that he had now just become her knight in shining armor.

**A/N: Hoped you liked that chapter. I was missing Shawn so I couldn't help but to give him the spotlight a little bit and the idea of maybe pairing him with Candice really intrigued me. Hope you liked it. My next chapter will focus more on Paul, Stephanie and John. Thank you as always for reading and I hope to hear from you!**


End file.
